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Record #5448

Name :: : Arthur Joseph KEANE (1899 - 1913)
Father: :
Mother: :

BMD and other details

Date of Birth: : 14 May 1899 Notes : Source: Fairbridge Kids
Marriage (1): :
Marriage (2): :
Date of Death: : Aug 1913 Notes : Accidental Drowning

Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Sussex, Petersfield

Sep qtr, 2c 147

Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialAustralia, Pinjarra

Sailing Information

Date of Arrival: : Jan 1913
Country: : Australia
Ship: : Australind
Placement Family: :

Homes / Agencys

Institution (GB): :
Agency: : Fairbridge Homes

NotesA birth registration was found for Arthur Joseph Keane: Year of Registration: 1899; Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep; District: Petersfield; County: Hampshire, Sussex; Volume: 2c; Page: 147. Parents: Thomas and Kate Keane.

In 1913, Arthur Keane, 13, arrived at Fremantle, Australia, in the first group of 13 boys en route to the Fairbridge Farm School, Pinjarra, Australia.

In her book about the Fairbridge Farm in Pinjarra, "The Building of a Farm School," (Published 1948 - Paterson Press Ltd, Perth, Western Australia), Ruby Fairbridge told how her husband, Kingsley Fairbridge, the founder of Fairbridge Farm, journeyed to Fremantle to meet the 'Australind' and to escort the boys back to Pinjarra. Mr Duncan McLarty lent a wagon and horses to transport the children from Pinjarra to the Farm.

The first children arrived, a more incongruous, desolate little bunch of humanity it would be hard to imagine, with little more than the clothes on their backs, everything was dirty. The Guardians had just fitted them up for life in an English workhouse.

Schooling was provided informally. Adapting to the Australian climate and bush (not to mention the primitive conditions at the Farm and the hard work required) was very difficult for the new arrivals. Kingsley did some hard negotiating with a local builder (even pledging his own money) for the necessary structures.

That first summer was unbearably hot. Indoors it was hard to find anywhere that registered below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Kingsley suffered further bouts of malaria and fever. To help speed recuperation, the Fairbridge?s took a ten-day holiday to Toodyay and stayed with Mr and Mrs Clarkson. Upon their return, the boys (under the direction of the ?Captain?) entertained the Fairbridges with a concert, and in their absence had worked very hard to clean up the Farm. Soon after this, the Fairbridge?s own private quarters were erected together with a big new dining room into which the boys moved their beds to avoid the oncoming April showery weather.

Ruby proceeds to describe ?The Day?s Work? ? an account of daily life. This chapter is an extract taken from a letter to London written by Kingsley and dated February 14th, 1913.

?Nine boys sleep in three tents a little way from the house; three to a tent. Two of our little rooms in the house are occupied by two tinier boys in each.?

?5.30am Walter Wickham arises to shoot birds doing damage in the orchard ? at the same time, Arthur Keane (aged 13) brings in the 2 cows and milks them, strains off the milk, washes the equipment ? meanwhile Arthur Lodge (aged 12) prepares the fowl?s food (boils water to mix bran and pollard) ? and the same time John Wickham cleans the manager?s house and readies the kitchen?.

At 6.30am the younger boys arise. Bathe and dress. Breakfast is at 7am. Porridge or sweet corn with sugar and fresh milk, bread and butter and home-made jam with cocoa or tea. Grace is said at all meals Navy-style ?Thank God. Amen?. Kingsley has the worst-mannered boys at his table. Their manners quickly improve. After breakfast Walter and John Wickham do the kitchen washing up. Others wash up plates, knives & forks. Still others go off to make all the beds. Duties are rotated.

At 8.15am is parade. Captain Q drills the boys until 9am. Each boy then works until 11.30am called ?Telling of Details?. Work includes ?Emptying and purifying the Rears and Urinals, washing bathroom basins, weeding the orchard, garden work, driving to Pinjarra for mail and food (under supervision), helping in the kitchen and washing clothes, scarifying the orchard and orderly duties. Looks nice in practice but it was all subject to quarrels, injuries and sickness (real or imaginary), going missing etc.

11.30am is lunchtime. Meat dish, vegetables, pudding (stewed of fresh fruit) followed by washing up again. An hour?s play or letter writing followed lunch.

1.30pm. The Manager reads to the boys for an hour. At 2.30pm reading is over and the 9 smaller boys have an hour?s play while the older ones are occupied with farming jobs. 3.30pm is boxing hour where the boys can whack each other in the ring. A popular time. At 4.30pm it?s time for the second daily bath (much needed after all of the above, especially in the hot weather).

5.00pm. Supper time arrives. Taken alone under the supervision of the cook or matron. With plenty of good food, regular exercise and an out-door life, the boys thrived, adding weight and stamina. Wash up again and baths are filled for next morning.

6.00pm. Parade for all boys. Sometimes drill but often sports. On Saturdays the staff and farm hands might join in the sports. After Parade is evening prayer. Bedtime is 6.30pm. The Manager does the rounds at 7.15pm and wishes them goodnight. 7.30pm Silence.

Towards the end of August 1913, Arthur Keane accidentally drowned while bathing in a pond. He dived in and got caught in debris on the bottom. Kingsley himself dived into the pond fully dressed, recovered Arthur and unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate him.

It is not known where Arthur Keane is buried. He is not with the others at Fairbridge Cemetery.

ContributorsCreated : 2009-03-05 20:47:56 / From original database

Additional Contributions from : mollipops1

Last Updated : 2009-03-05 20:59:15 /

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Readers Comments

Surnames starting with: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 35 Entries

Surnames starting with: K »KARL »KEEL »KELL »KEMP »KENT »KERW »KING »KIRK »KNIG »KNOW »KOPP »KRUS » KZZZ

ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links
26117	KARSEWSKI, A	1886	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
12873	KAY, Albert	1912	ENG,	Apr 1928 : Montnairn	CAN	Fegan Homes for Boys
22280	KAY, Albert	1889	ENG,	May 1903 : Kensington	CAN	Fegan Homes for Boys
11199	KAY, Andrew	1892	SCT,	May 1905 : Corinthian	CAN	Quarriers
3863	KAY, Henry	1870	ENG,	May 1885 : Parisian	CAN	Liverpool Catholic Childrens Protective Society (now Nugent Care)
8346	KAY, Iris	1910	ENG, YKS, Rotherham	Sep 1921 : Minnedosa	CAN	Barnardos
13235	KAY, Mary E	1877	ENG,	Jun 1885 : Polynesian	CAN	Barnardos
22572	KAY, Mary Ellen	1884	ENG, , Durham City	1884 : - Unknown -	CAN	Unknown
3950	KAY, Robert	1880		Apr 1894 : Buenos Ayrean	CAN	Quarriers	LesleyW2015
21237	KAY, Thomas Henry	1897		Apr 1905 : Kensington	CAN	Barnardos
18923	KAY, William	1889	ENG,	Sep 1899 : Arawa	CAN	Barnardos
6066	KAYE, Annie	1883	ENG,	Aug 1895 : Numidian	CAN	Maria Rye
12318	KAYE, Frederick	1931	ENG,	Aug 1938 : Strathaird	AUS	Christian Brothers
5448	KEANE, Arthur Joseph	1899	ENG, SSX, Petersfield	Jan 1913 : Australind	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
26955	KEARLE, Albert Gordon	1925	WAL, GLA, Cardiff	Nov 1938 : Themistocles	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
15214	KEARNEY, Annie Hellen Elizabeth	1892	ENG,	Jun 1904 : Bavarian	CAN	Catholic Emigration Association
15213	KEARNEY, Hubert Richard	1894	ENG, , Fulham	Jun 1909 : Tunisian	CAN	Catholic Emigration Association
4421	KEARNEY, John	1891	IRL, , Dublin	Jun 1907 : Tunisian	CAN	Catholic Emigration Association
20703	KEARNEY, Sarah	1901	ENG,	Oct 1913 : Corinthian	CAN	Barnardos
6691	KEARY, Charles	1913	ENG, LAN, West Derby	Mar 1927 : Montrose	CAN	Barnardos
12894	KEATING, Andrew	1882	ENG, , Camberwell	Jun 1897 : State of California	CAN	Lord Archibald Douglas
8497	KEATING, Frank	1885	ENG, , St Pancras	Aug 1899 : Laurentian	CAN	Canadian Catholic Emigration Committee
22412	KEATING, Mary	1884	ENG,	May 1898 : Laurentian	CAN	Southwark Catholic Emigration Committee
17808	KEATLEY, George	1893	ENG,	Jul 1905 : Siberian	CAN	Middlemore
27609	KEATS, Alice Elizabeth	1898	ENG, SFK, Ipswich	Jul 1914 : Corinthian	CAN	Barnardos	DFKBurr
24589	KEATS, Louis	1895		Jun 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
22929	KEAY, Joseph	1895	ENG,	May 1898 : Siberian	CAN	Middlemore
27356	KEAY, Maureen Ann	1939	ENG, GLS, Forest of Dean	Sep 1947 : Asturias	AUS	Catholic Episcopal Migration & Welfare Assoc.
4180	KEEBLE, Charles	1892	ENG, MDX, Lambeth	Jun 1906 : Virginian	CAN	Waifs & Strays
13559	KEEFE, Daniel	1874	ENG,	Jul 1887 : Sarmatian	CAN	Canadian Catholic Emigration Committee
19379	KEEFE, H. O.	1864		May 1882 : Polynesian	CAN
13508	KEEFE, James	1873	ENG,	Jul 1887 : Sarmatian	CAN	Canadian Catholic Emigration Committee
24373	KEEFE, John	1856		May 1870 : Peruvian	CAN	Annie MacPherson Homes
25111	KEEGAN, Michael	1876	ENG,	Sep 1883 : Polynesian	CAN	Liverpool Catholic Children's Protection Society
12160	KYNOCK, Alice Mary	1917	ENG, LAN, Liverpool	May 1928 : Ballarat	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links

Surnames starting with: K »KARL »KEEL »KELL »KEMP »KENT »KERW »KING »KIRK »KNIG »KNOW »KOPP »KRUS » KZZZ

Surnames starting with: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 35 Entries

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